office fit-out or refurbishment check list · • locks and handles can be provided in finishes...

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Office Fit-Out or Refurbishment

check list

here is some information about

Office Fit-Out & RefurbishmentThere are few jobs so exacting as an entire office fit-out or refurb. Frankly, there is so much that can go wrong with such a large, all-encompassing project that you need to be absolutely sure that the company you engage to take care of it all are really on top of the job from start to finish. At Flow, we have prepared an exhaustive checklist to make certain that no detail - no matter how small - is overlooked...

Fitting out an office from start to finish is really the biggest fitting job there is and it is therefore imperative that the project is meticulously planned from start to finish. Starting from scratch with an office space is also a great opportunity to make sure that your physical environment is an accurate reflection of your company’s personality and brand. Although there is a long list of things that you absolutely must achieve, there is also a great deal of freedom in exactly how you achieve them. Making the whole thing a lot easier is Flow’s comprehensive checklist.

Our full fit-out or refurbishment checklist covers everything you need to consider before beginning such a project. It covers the actual layout of the office space, which means figuring out the positioning of partitioning, including walls and doors, plus what materials they will need to be made from. It also includes essentials such as ceilings and flooring, as well as heating, cooling and ventilation. Then there are all the questions concerning your electrical system, which includes not only lighting, but also technology and entertainment.

When you add in door furniture, blinds and windows, security and legal compliance issues, you can see that our full fit-out checklist leaves absolutely nothing to chance.

PLANNED. DESIGNED. INSTALLED.

FLOW OFFICE CO. UNIT 2a, OPTICAL PARK, MIDDLEMORE LANE WEST, ALDRIDGE, WALSALL. WS9 8EJ

01922 453 488 [email protected] FLOWOFFICE.CO.UK

PARTITIONING:• Fire rated partitioning is required for corridors or rooms that form corridors and the same applies

to kitchen areas. Standard non fire rated partitions can be fitted elsewhere.

• Solid walls can either be brickwork, metal frame and plasterboard or timber and plasterboard which is a standard construction for solid walls. These can be insulated for sound and heat protection.

• Walls can be half glazed with solid bottom areas and can have single or double glazing fitted which can incorporate built in blinds. This can be an aluminium system.

• Walls can be fully glazed which can be single or double glazed and mounted in an aluminium frame system.

• Frameless glass walls can be formed providing full height glass which can have doors incorporated and will require manifestation to meet building regulations.

DOOR FURNITURE:• Locks and handles can be provided in finishes such as stainless steel, chrome, satin anodised

aluminium, basic steel or powder coated. Accounts and senior manager’s offices are fitted with locks. There is a large choice of security levels and many different types of locks.

• Latches and handles are usually fitted to internal offices and provided in finishes such as stainless steel, chrome, satin anodised aluminium, basic steel or powder coated.

• Door closers are a requirement for fire doors and usually main entrance doors. These can be mounted to the door or frame, drilled and fitted inside the door or floor mounted. These are available in all types of finishes.

• Kick plates are metal plates fitted to the bottom of doors usually on high traffic doors to prevent damage to the lower part of the door.

• Door stops are a good idea to prevent the doors damaging the walls and can be floor or wall mounted and available in a finish to match door furniture.

• Door entry systems can range from a simple manual key code lock or handle, an electronic system with key pad, swipe or internal press button entry. These are a good idea for reception and restricted areas.

• Door signage can be provided in any type of metal or plastic finish and be self adhesive or screw fixed.

DOORS:• Solid doors can either be non-fire rated hollow core or fire rated at 30 or 60 minutes which are

referred to as FD30’s or FD60’s.

• Painted to a colour of choice or in a veneered wood finish is a choice to be made.

• Half glazed is usually glazing to the top half of the door and a solid panel to the bottom.

• Fully glazed provides maximum vision and is normally the size of the door aperture with a small border around allowing for the lock and stability of the door.

• Vision panels are available in any shape or variation from a small port hole to a long thin panel.

OFFICE FIT-OUT & REFURBISHMENT CHECK LIST 1/5




CEILINGS:• Solid ceilings are normally plasterboard on to joists or a concrete and plastered finish.

• Suspended ceilings can be provided in a metal frame in a size of 600mm x 600mm or 1200mm x 600mm standard with a variety of tiles. Most common tiles are fissured or dune and these can be supplied either tegular which means they stick down from the metal frame slightly or standard board which is flat with the grid.

• Metal frame and plasterboard which is often referred to as an MF ceiling. This can be suspended at any height and provide a void for services. This type of ceiling will often require access panels to gain access to services.

BLINDS:• Vertical are the most popular and have multiple functions opposed to roller blinds which are a

simple pull down blind. Roller blinds can be printed with company logos or text.

• Integral blinds are made to fit within the double glazing of the partitioning and are usually operated by simple dial to tilt open or close. There is also a system that allows them to be lifted up and down to open and close.

• Blinds can either be surface mounted which means on outside of the opening, within the aperture which is in the opening up to the window or simply on the back of partitioning.

FLOORING:• Carpet tiles are supplied 500mm square and are the most common floor covering for office areas.

These are hardwearing, easy to clean and replace.

• Rubber tiles are a good hardwearing flooring product for high traffic walkways.

• Vinyl plank flooring is available in all different types of finishes such as wood which is the most popular and there are tile effects. This type of floor is normally used in high traffic areas.

• Vinyl sheet flooring is available in all different types of textures and colours and is used in toilets, canteen areas, work areas and corridors. This is glued to the floor and the joints are welded with a special machine.

• Engineered wood flooring is a good stable option of flooring but not generally used in offices. This is available in a wide variety of thicknesses and finishes.

• Ceramic flooring requires careful consideration due to slip hazards and is generally used in kitchen and toilet areas.

• Barrier matting is the carpet used in entrance ways and the simplest and cheapest one is a ribbed carpet and then there are options of coir matting which is the brown thick type or you can install custom made aluminium framed matting.





HEATING, VENTILATION & COOLING:• Traditional wet system radiators are the most common heating systems which allow multiple

points of heating that can be easily controlled separately.

• Electric radiators are a common form of heating and can be available in free standing and wall mounted with thermostatic controls.

• Air conditioning is the most common heating and cooling system recognised as HVC (heating, venting and cooling). These can be wall mounted or inset in the ceiling and require a piece of equipment called a condenser which is mounted outside of the building.

• Fresh air ventilation is required in all offices and it is recommended to have an in and out flow so as to provide an air change.

SECURITY:• Fire alarms are compulsory and provided as either an independent system to your offices or part

of a main system for the whole building. These provide heat and smoke detection and call points in case of a fire. These can be linked to the fire station but often not compulsory.

• Intruder alarms are available as a fixed wired system or wireless and it is always best to seek the recommendation of a professional company for the type of security required such as covering entrances, exits, windows, roof spaces, offices and store rooms. The different types of protection are endless such as movement detectors, heat detectors, door contacts, vibration detectors and beams.

• CCTV known as closed circuit television is a recording system from cameras which are usually covering windows, doors, factory spaces, office areas and car parks. These are often an insurance requirement but certainly a deterrent for burglars.

• Door entry systems are usually installed for security reasons and prevent unauthorised access and commonly used on reception entrances. These can be accessed by either a buzzer to reception from where entry can be allowed or with a key code or swipe.

• Coded locks are available in either a manual or digital format and used to restrict access to certain areas. These generally cannot be fitted to fire exit doors.

• Roller shutters can be fitted both internally and externally and are an excellent security system and can be provided manual or electric and also with remote control fobs.

• Security grills are often un-slightly but a requirement on windows for security. These can be mounted internally or externally by means of a steel frame or an internal Boston gate is popular as this can be opened and closed from inside. It is important that these security measures are insurance compliant.





ELECTRICAL:• Standard wall sockets are the most common electrical outlets for equipment and

available in normally white plastic but can be provided in metal finishes.

• Floor box sockets are good for central desking areas and prevent trailing cables from walls. These are generally provided as a bank of four and often the data is linked in. It is essential that these are installed in the correct place so as to match up with the proposed desking arrangement.

• Dado trunking sockets are mounted in a plastic trunking which generally is mounted around the perimeter of the room and can also be provided as a skirting board version.

• LED lighting panels are now the most common form of lighting and are available to be mounted flush in suspended ceilings or surface mounted. Bright white is the standard format for offices and the energy efficiency is generally 60% greater than normal lighting.

• LED spot lights are often used for display areas or corners opposed to general lighting and these are available in all metal finishes but generally white.

• Switching or motion detectors is a choice to be made for lighting so either traditional wall mounted switches or pull cords can be operated or motion detectors which detect movement and switch on the lighting for a set amount of time. Detectors are generally used in common areas, toilets, kitchens etc opposed to general office areas.

• Emergency lighting is a legal requirement which is checked annually and in the event of a power failure provides a lit path to exit the building.

• External flood lights are generally used in car parks, over goods entrances and doors.

• Data points are the outlet points for the network system which computers, telephones, printers and scanners etc are connected to. These are normally to each desk and a minimum of two each.

• A patch panel is where all of the data cabling is connected to which is then connected to the server so this is generally in the IT area. The numbers on the patch panel correspond with the numbers at the data points.

• Wifi is an essential part of an office now and often equipment communicates by WiFi and employees phones are used on the WiFi. It is important that the WiFi is strong enough and is a secured network with a password.

• Phone systems can serve many functions and it is important that a specialist contractor specifies the system required and allowing for growth. Out of office answering services and call diverting are all considerations to be made.

• Music systems are rare in offices and usually provided by a small means of a radio or stereo system, however, these can be provided with built in speakers mounted in the ceiling. A music licence is required for this.

• Televisions are often mounted in reception areas or break out areas and wall mounted. A TV licence is required for this if television programs are broadcast but not if used for power point presentations.






VARIOUS FOR CONSIDERATION:• Disabled compliance is important when planning a work place as this applies to

entrances, corridors, offices, canteen areas etc. It is always advisable to read the disabled regulations. An important factor is that a DDA compliant toilet is bigger than a standard toilet facility and has additional requirements.

• Water machines are available as mains fed which will need a water supply or bottle type and both normally supplied to provide chilled water. The benefit of mains fed type is the cost and not having to store quantities of water bottles. These require sanitization on a regular basis.

• Welfare facilities are toilets, changing rooms, kitchen or break out area required for staff members. The amount of toilets are dependent on the amount of staff and this forms part of building regulations.

• If parking is provided on site it is important to consider the amount of parking spaces required for the staff and the appropriate signage provided for visitors.

office fit-out or refurbishment check list · • locks and handles can be provided in finishes...

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